Apparel-mountable wallet

ABSTRACT

A wallet comprises a pouch body having a pouch portion for the carrying of items, a flexible strap extending from the pouch body, and a pair of mutually attractable magnetic elements spaced apart a distance on the wallet and associated with the strap allow the strap to be folded about an edge of a layer such that the magnetic elements are in alignment at opposite sides of the layer to retain the wallet in position upon the layer. The wallet is particularly adapted to be mounted on an article of clothing or a footwear item at a hem or edge, with the flexible strap being wrapped about the edge to maintain the wallet in position. The pouch body may be positioned adjacent an interior surface of the clothing or footwear article to keep it out of sight.

The present invention is directed to a wallet construction, and in particular to wallets and similar personal article carriers that may be affixed to apparel or footwear, such as blouses, boots, pants and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Individuals typically carry a license or other form of identification, credit cards, and money in a wallet. The wallet, in turn is typically carried by a man in a pocket, while women place their wallets in a purse or handbag. In certain circumstances the portage of a purse or handbag can be an inconvenience, inhibiting activity. For example, participating in sports or dancing can be significantly impeded by the need to carry even a purse, whether held in the hand or carried on the shoulder by a strap. Yet the importance and/or value of the items in the wallet suggest that they remain with their owner.

In addition, while a purse or wallet may be viewed as a fashion accessory, there are circumstances where the presence of such an article provides unwanted notice to others that there is a likelihood of valuables being carried on the person. An exposed purse or wallet may be prone to pilferage or theft.

It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a wallet or similar personal effects carrier that can be affixed to an article of clothing or footwear. A further purpose of the invention is to provide such a carrier that can be affixed to and remove from the article of clothing or footwear without damage to the article. Yet another purpose of the invention is to provide a carrier of relatively small size that can be concealed on the person.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the foregoing, the present invention comprises a pouch unit container or pocket, typically of fabric. A strap extends from the pouch unit, and bears a magnetic element at its distal end. A compatible magnetic element is positioned on the pouch unit, and preferably along an upper edge thereof, to engage with the strap's magnet. The pouch unit is positioned against a surface of an article of clothing or footwear proximate a free edge thereof, and the strap is wrapped about the exposed edge such that its magnetic element is on the opposite side of the surface against which the pouch unit is placed, magnetic attraction between the two magnetic elements holding the pouch unit in place. When it is desired to detach the pouch unit the two magnetic elements are simply manually separated.

The strap may be removably affixed to the pouch unit. In such an embodiment the strap contains both magnetic elements. When removed from the pouch unit the strap can itself serve as a keeper for keys or a security card, mountable about the edge of an article of clothing or footwear. The strap alone is wrapped about the exposed edge such that the magnetic elements are aligned on opposite side of the surface to which the strap is to be mounted, magnetic attraction between the two magnetic elements holding the strap and supported item(s) in place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A fuller understanding of the invention will be achieved upon consideration of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, when taken in association with the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 depicts the strap element;

FIG. 3 shows the invention in place on an illustrative article of clothing;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3 further illustrating how the wallet is maintained in position upon the clothing article;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the strap of an alternative embodiment of the invention on an illustrative article of clothing;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the pouch unit and separated strap of the alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the strap of the alternative embodiment further depicting the location of connectors thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, wallet 10 comprises a pocket or pouch unit 12 and strap 20. Pouch unit 12 may comprise first pouch portion 14 and second pouch portion 16 separated by common interior wall 18, which may be a line of stitching joining the front and back walls of the wallet. The larger portion may be sized to accommodate cash, credit cards and the like, while the smaller portion may accommodate, for example, a lipstick, key or a tampon for a woman. Alternatively, the wallet may comprise only a single, full-width pouch. Alternatively, the pouch unit may comprise a single pouch portion, dimensioned in accordance with the item or items intended to be placed therein. The pouch openings may each be provided with a closure, such as snaps 28, or zippers. The overall size of the pouch unit may be four inches in width and height. Preferably the pouch unit is constructed of fabric to minimize the thickness of the wallet, allowing it to be attached to an article of clothing without a significant bulge appearing and to be worn comfortably. Leather and other materials may also be used.

Elongated strap 20 projects upwardly from the pouch unit from its top surface. As depicted, it may be located at second pouch portion 16. As shown in FIG. 2, strap 20 bears a pair of complementary magnetic elements 22, 24 at its opposed ends. The strap may be formed of two layers of the same fabric as the pouch unit. Preferably the magnetic elements are retained in pockets between the two layers, the pockets being closed by transverse lines of stitching 26. Each of the magnetic elements may be a magnet, and preferably a rare earth magnet, oriented within its pocket to be mutually attracted when the strap is folded upon itself as depicted in FIG. 3. Alternatively, one of the elements may be a magnet and the other a steel disc or other ferromagnetic material, The lower end portion is affixed to the pouch portion such that the enclosed magnetic element lies below the top edge of the pouch portion. So shown, the strap may be affixed by sewing against the inner surface of the second pouch portion 16. It is to be appreciated that the magnetic element 24 need not be located within the strap, but can be otherwise affixed to the pouch portion directly such that it will align with the strap magnetic element 22 then the strap is folded about the edge of the article to which the wallet is to be mounted.

FIGS. 3 and 4 depict the wallet in place on an article of clothing, such as a dress 32 or a boot. The wallet is placed against a surface, and preferably an interior surface of the garment or item, as depicted in FIG. 3, so it cannot be seen from the garment exterior, and strap 20 is folded upon itself over a top edge of the garment such that the two magnetic elements 22, 24 align. In such an orientation the strap is retained in the folded loop position, the mutual attraction of the two magnetic elements retaining the loop and wallet in position, even though the magnetic element are separated from each other by the strap fabric and the portion of the garment against which the wallet lies. All that is seen is the portion of the strap 20 on the exterior of the garment. An article of adornment in the nature of a fashion detail, such as bow element 34, may be affixed to the strap at its free end to provide a decorative touch to the small portion of the strap that is visible on the exterior of the garment. The strong mutual attraction between the magnetic elements ensures that the wallet remains in place during activity of the wearer, but allows the wallet to be removed from the garment by manual separation of the elements when needed to remove the wallet from the garment or for access to the wallet's contents. When the pouches are provided with the closures 24, the wallet need not be oriented such that the open top end is horizontal. This allows the wallet to be affixed not only to a horizontal top edge of a garment, but to vertical edges as well without risk of the wallet's contents falling out. The wallet may be affixed, for example, to the interior of a boot, to a skirt or pants, or an undergarment, blazer or shirt, or the back of running shorts or pants.

The strap may be separable from the pouch unit to allow independent use as an apparel-mountable device in the nature of a keychain, security card mount, or the like. FIG. 5 depicts strap 104 as removed from a wallet 100 (FIG. 6) and affixed to lower edge 116 of a garment to hold key loop and key 114. As depicted in FIG. 6, wallet 100 comprises pouch unit 102 and removable elongated strap 104. Strap 104 has magnetic elements 106, 108 located proximate the opposed ends of the strap, oriented for mutual attraction when the strap is folded upon itself. The pouch unit and the strap are both provided with inter-engagable fasteners 110 to allow the strap to be connected to pouch unit. The fasteners 110 may be, for example, a pair of magnetic elements, a snap fastener connector pair, or a button/buttonhole combination. The fastener 110 located on the strap is preferably located between the magnetic elements 106, 108, near the lower element 108 whereby, upon attachment to the pouch, a sufficient length of the strap extends upwardly beyond the connector to be foldable over the garment edge such that the magnetic elements can be placed in alignment to secure the strap to the garment. With the magnetic element located below the fastener, retention of the pouch to the strap, and thus retention of the wallet on the garment, is maintained even if the fasteners 110 disengage from each other. As with the other embodiment, the wallet and strap may be constructed of fabric, with the magnetic elements 106, 108 being positioned within the strap between fabric layers.

While the strap is preferably affixed to the pouch unit on an outside surface of the pouch unit, it also may be joined to the pouch unit on an interior pouch surface. In such a case the fasteners 110 may preferably be of the same type as the closure 28 as depicted in FIG. 1 for sealing a pouch unit, thus allowing the strap fasteners 110 to assist in closing the pouch, particularly when the closure 28 is a pair of snap fasteners. Accordingly and as further depicted in FIG. 7, a pair of connector elements 100 are positioned in alignment with each other on opposite faces of the strap. The connector element on the front face of the strap is chosen to mate with the closure element 28 on the front wall of the pouch unit, while the connector element on the rear face of the strap mates with the closure element 28 on the rear wall of the pouch unit. 

I claim:
 1. A wallet, comprising a pouch body having a pouch portion for the carrying of items, a flexible strap extending from the pouch body, and a pair of mutually attractable magnetic elements spaced apart a distance on the wallet and associated with the strap allow the strap to be folded about an edge of a layer of a piece of wearing apparel or footwear such that the magnetic elements are in alignment at opposite sides of the layer to retain the wallet in position upon the layer.
 2. The wallet of claim 1 wherein the strap has a first end portion and a distal portion and extends from an open end of the pouch portion, the first end portion of the strap being in alignment with and affixed to a side of the pouch portion, one of the magnetic elements being located at the distal end portion.
 3. The wallet of claim 2 wherein a second of the magnets is located at the first end portion.
 4. The wallet of claim 2 wherein the pouch portion is provided with a closure.
 5. The wallet of claim 1 wherein wallet body further includes a second pouch portion, the first and second pouch portions being separated by a common wall of the wallet body.
 6. The wallet of claim 2 wherein the pouch body and strap are of fabric.
 7. The wallet of claim 6 wherein the magnetic elements are positioned between layers of the fabric of the strap.
 8. The wallet of claim 7 wherein an article of adornment is affixed to an outer surface of the strap.
 9. The wallet of claim 8 wherein a second of the magnetic elements is located proximate a distal end of the strap and the article of adornment is positioned proximate the location of the second magnetic element.
 10. The wallet of claim 1 wherein the strap is connected to the pouch body by a separable connector, the magnetic elements being located on the strap, whereby the strap can be disconnected from the pouch body and separably retained in position upon the layer.
 11. The wallet of claim 10 wherein the separable connector is a snap connector, a pair of mutually attracted magnetic elements, or a button and button hole combination.
 12. The wallet of claim 10 wherein the strap is connected to an interior surface of the pouch portion by a separable connector.
 13. The wallet of claim 12 wherein the pouch portion has a snap closure, the separable connector being mateable with the snap closure. 